Ironing machine



F.- s. sTou'r E'TAL Am as, 194?.

IRONING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 J fil Fade/205552015, 1947. F UT T 2,41,913

IRONING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 L A T U 0 T S s EIRONING NE Filed Jan. 10, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 HHHHHIHlmlu A wifi 15,1947. F. s. s-rou'r ETAL IRONING MACHINE Filed Jan. 10, 1946 4Sheets-Sheet 4 i atented Apr. 15, 1947 IRONING MACHINE Frederick S.Stout, Ardmore, Pa, and Johan F. Arnelunxen, New Castle, DeL, assignorsto F. F. Slocomb Corporation, Wilmington, Del., a corporation ofDelaware Application January 10, 1946, Serial No. 640,150

Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in ironingmachines, primarily for leather and the like.

Machines of the type with which this invention is concerned usuallycomprise a heated press roll and an ironing roll together with means foradvancing and retracting such rolls into and out of pressure engagement.It is desirable that these rolls engage one another with uniformpressure throughout their length in order that the work passingtherebetween may be subjected to uniform pressure over the entire areabetween the rolls, and hence at least one of the rolls should besupported in a manner that will permit of the extremely accurateadjustment or setting of the rolls with respect to each other. It isalso desirable that the ironing roll be readily demountable so that suchrolls may be interchanged and replaced with facility as desired orrequired. Furthermore, in machines of the present type, the

mechanisms that have been employed to advance and retract the rolls intoand out of pressure engagement have been such as to cause the rolls toengage with substantial impact with the result that the work between therolls is marked and disfigured. In addition, it is desirable thatmachines of the present type embody provisions for changing the relativespeeds of rotation of the rolls in accordance with the requirements of aparticular job to be performed.

With the foregoing in mind, one object of the present invention is toprovide an ironing machine of the stated type which embodies novel andimproved means for rockably supporting one of the rolls so that the samemay be accurately adjusted and set with respect to the other roll tothereby engage the same with uniform pressure throughout its length.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the type setforth which embodies novel and improved mounting means for one of therolls, said mounting means being constructed and arranged to permitinterchange and replace ment of the roll with facility.

Another object of the invention is to provide an ironing machine havingthe features and characteristics set forth having novel and improvedmechanism for advancing and retracting the rolls into and out Ofpressure engage e t a d which is operable to substantially cushionimpact between the rolls so as to prevent marking or disfigurement ofthe work.

A further object of the invention is to provide an ironing machinehaving the stated characteristics which embodies new and improved fea-.tures of construction that permit the relative speeds of rotation ofthe rolls to be changed in accordance with the requirements of aparticular ironing operation.

These and other objects of the invention together with the variousfeatures and details of the construction and operation thereof arehereinafter fully set forth and described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a front elevational view of a machine made in accordance withthe present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1;

'Fig. 3 is a fragmentary end elevational view of the machine; I

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4-4, Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 5-5, Fig.1; and

Fig. 6 is a view in perspective showing a novel construction made of thepresent invention, the several parts of said structure being shown inseparated relation to better illustrate the structural details of theseveral parts thereof.

Referring now to the drawings, the machine comprises a suitable framestructure I in which is journaled a rock shaft 2. Loosely mounted on oneend of the shaft 2 is a gear 3 which meshes with a pinion 4 that ismounted upon a stud shaft 5 journaled in the frame I. Also mounted uponthe stud shaft 5 outwardly of the machine with respect to the pinion 4,is a pinion 6 which meshes with a gear I secured'to one of the trunnions8 of a heated ironing roll 9, the trunnions 8, as best shown in Fig. 4,being journaled in bearings I0, I0 at the top of each end of the framestructure I.

Mounted for cooperative association with the ironing roll 9 is a pressroll I I, preferably rubber covered, which has its trunnions I2 and I3journaled respectively in bearings It and I5 that are supported radiallywith respect to the rock shaft 2 by means of support arms, designatedgenerally as It and H respectively, secured to the shaft 2 at oppositesides of the frame structure I. The

trunnion I2 at one end of the roll l I has secured. thereto a gear I8which meshes with the gear 3 as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of thedrawings, and it will be apparent that rocking movement of the shaft 2does not disturb the normal meshing relation between said gear I8 andthe gear't; By rocking the shaft 2, the press roll II is brought intoengagement with the ironing roll 9, as shown in solid lines in Fig. 2,while in a retracted position, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2', theroll II is removed from the ironing roll 9 to an extent providing foradmission between the rolls of leather or other product under treatment.

One feature of the present invention is concerned with the constructionand arrangement of the support arms l and IT by means of which the pressroll and its bearings 44 and !5 are supported with respect to the rockshaft 2. Considering first the support arm 16, this is most clearlyshown in Fig. 5 of the drawings and comprises a sleeve member 19 whichis fixedly secured upon the shaft 2, for example, by means of a taperedpin 20. The sleeve member it has formed integral therewith a laterallyextending portion 21 in which there is provided a radial socket 22 thatreceives a pin 23 removably secured therein, for example, by means of aset screw or the like 24. The pin23 is of greater axial length than thesocket 22, and the projecting end portion of said pin 23 is received ina socket 25 provided in the extending portion 25 which is formedintegral with the press roll bearing it, the said pin 23 beingreleasably secured in said socket 25, for example, by means of one ormore set screws or the like 21.

In a generally similar manner, the radial support arm I? for the otherpress roll bearing 15 is shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings and comprises asleeve member 28 which is mounted on the shaft 2 and provided with alateral extension 29 having therein a radial socket 3B in which isremovably secured a pin 3! that is in turn releasably secured in aradial socket 32 provided in the extension 33 of the press roll bearingl5 substantially in the manner herelnbefore described in respect to theother press roll bearing l4 shown in Fig. 5. It is to be noted, however,in the case of the support arm l5, that the sleeve member 28 is looselymounted upon the rock shaft 2 and adapted to be secured against rotationwith respect to the rock shaft 2 through an adjacent sleeve member 34that is fixedly secured upon the shaft 2, for example, by means of atapered pin or the like 35. through sleeve member 28 is counterbored asindicated at 36 to receive the projecting collar portion 31 of theadjacent sleeve member 34 to thereby provide a firm, rigidinterconnection between the adjacent sleeve members 28 and 34.

As previously stated herein, it is desirable that the press roll I I besupported and carried by the rock shaft 2 in a manner to provide for theaccurate adjustment and setting of the press roll I l with respect tothe ironing roll 8 in order that the rolls may engage one another withuniform pressure throughout their length. Thus, provision is made in thesupport arm structure I! to permit the sleeve member 28 which carriesthe press roll bearing I5 to be adjusted through a limited number ofdegrees circumferentially of the shaft 2 with respect to the adjacentfixed sleeve member 34. To this end, therefore, the adjacent sleevemembers 28 and 34 are connected together by means of bolts 38 (see Fig.2) which extend respectively through arcuate slots 33a provided in thelaterally extending portion 39 of the sleeve member 34 and threadablyengage tapped openings 40 provided in the adjacent face 4| of the sleevemember 28, the arrangement being such that by loosening these bolts thesleeve member 28, and press roll bearing !5 carried thereby, may beaccurately adjusted in a circumferential direction angularlywith respectto the fixed sleevemember, 34 to the extent limited by the length of thearcuate slots 38a.

The bore or shaft opening To aid in adjusting the position of the sleevemember 28 angularly with respect to the fixed sleeve member 35, thereare provided at the extremity of the laterally extending portion 39 apair of spaced parallel lugs or projections 42 in which are threaded setscrews 53 that extend inwardly and are adapted to engage the sleevemember 28 at opposite sides of the lateral portion 29 thereof. Thus,when the bolts 38 which pass through the arcuate slots 3811 have beenloosened to permit relative movement between the adjacent sleeve members28 and 3A, the set screws 43 may be advanced and retracted in theappropriate direction to effect a positive adjustment of the sleevemember 28 with respect to the fixed sleeve member 34 through very smallangles with substantial accuracy. The set screws 63 may be provided withlock nuts 34 to secure the set screws 43 in the positions to whichadjusted in setting the sleeve member 28 with respect to the fixedsleeve member 34.

By reason of the construction and arrangement of the press roll bearings14 and I5 and thei respective support arms l5 and H, it will be apparentthat not only may the press roll H be set and adjusted with extremeaccuracy relative to the ironing roll 9 to provide interengagementtherebetween with uniform pressure throughout their length, but that thepress roll H may be readily demounted and removed from the machine forrepair or replacement merely by loosening the set screws 21 therebypermitting the press roll bearings 14 and 15 to be disengaged from thepins 23 and SI of the support arm structures I5 and H, respectively.

The trunnions 8 of the ironing roll 9 are hollow to permit theinstallation in the latter of a tube 45. This tube is supported at oneend by a blacket 46 which is secured to the adjacent bearing l0 andwhich retains the tube 45 in relatively fixed position centrally withinthe roll 9 and its trunnions 8 by means of set screws or the like 47. Atthe other end the tube 55 may be supported, for example, by aconventional bearing structure 48. Within the roll 9, the tube 45provides a support for a number of spiders 59, and these spiders providein turn a support for a plurality of elongated electrical heatingelements 50 which extend over the full length of the roll and in closeproximity to the cylindrical wall of the latter. These heating elementsare connected to a suitable source of electric energy by means of wireswhich may extend from one end through the tub-e 35 through a duct 5!.The electrical circuit may also comprise a thermostatically controlledswitch or other suitable regulating device mounted in proximity to thesurface of the roll 9, and operable to maintain the roll 9 at apredetermined desirable temperature. Control devices of this characterare available in the trade, and the device itself forms no part of thepresent invention.

The shaft 2 is oscillated or rocked to advance and retract the press orfeed roll ll by means of a rocker arm 52 which is secured upon the shaft2 at a position centrally between the radial support arms is and II.This rocker arm 52 extends downwardly from the shaft 2 and is pivotallyconnected at its lower end to the free end of a piston rod 53 by meansof a pin 54. The piston rod 53 has its other end connected to a piston55 which is mounted for reciprocation in a cylinder 56 of thedouble-acting type. In accordance with the present invention thecylinder 56 is of the'cusl'iioned type and, to this 'end, theremaintenance.

is provided at each side of the piston 55 a cushion sleeve 51 which isadapted to enter Tabore 158 in the ends of the cylinder 56 as the pistonapproaches the end of its stroke in'either direction. By thisconstruction, as the cushion sleeve 51 enters the bore 58 air or fluidis trapped between the adjacent face of the piston 55 and the :end

wall of the cylinder 59 thereby forming a pneumatic or fluid cushionwhich acts over the entire piston diameter. The taper and tolerances ofthe cushion sleeves 51 and cooperating bores 53 .work being marked anddisfigured.

I Actuation of the piston 55 is effected by a compressed air systemwherein air, under pressure .issupplied through a pipe 59 (and thisystem is also adaptable to other fluids) a reducing valve 60 and adistributor valve Bl that isoperated by .means of a foot treadle or thelike 62 to control the flow of air through one of the pipes 63 or 64 tothe appropriate side of the piston 55, the said distributor valve 6|operating simultaneously to connect the other of said pipes to theexhaust line (not shown) of the air system. If desired, a suitablepressure gauge 65 may be inserted in the air system ahead of thereducing valve 59 to enable accurate control of the air pressure in thesystem by manipulation of the reducing valve.

In addition to being journaled in the side Dortions of the framestructure l, the shaft 2 is journaled in bearings 56 which embrace theshaft 2 at its midportion at opposite sides of the rocker arm 52thereon. The bearings 66 are carried at the forward or outer end of asupport or arm 51 which inclines forwardly from a crossmember 58 thatconnects between the side portions of the frame structure I at-the rearthereof. By this construction, the shaft 2 is supported againstdeflection as a result of the pressure exerted thereon when the pressroll H is engaged with the ironing roll 9. Support of the shaft 2against deflection in this manner'may be augmented by providingatie-bolt 69 between the support or arm 6'! and a cross-member 70 of theframe structure.

The gear 3 is driven from a pinion 7i mounted upon the driven shaft l2ofa reduction gear mechanism 13, the drive shaft M of which is driventhrough a conventional belt drive by a motor 15 mounted on the bottomcross-member of the frame structure I. The reduction gear ortransmission i3 preferably is such that, with the particular ratio ofthe pinion 6 and gear I, the ironing roll 9 is rotated at a faster ratethan the press roll I], and as the work piece is fed between the rollsthe increased friction between the work and the rubber-covered roll H,the smooth-faced metal ironing roll 9 will slide over the surface of thework, thereby giving the desired ironing action. Rotation of the rollsis in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2. Apart from theforegoing, it is to be noted that the construction and arrangement ofthe pinions and gears for driving the ironing roll 9 from the gear 3 issuch that the relative speeds of rotation of the roll 9 with respecttothe press roll ll may be varied by substituting different sizedpinions and gears for the pinion 5 and gear 1, and the-construction andarrangement shown is particularly adapted to this purpose,

The press roll H may be protected by a cover plate 11 which has itsopposite ends secured to the press roll bearings l4 and i5, and the bitebetween said roll I! and the ironing roll 9 may be guarded by a bar 78secured to the cover plate 71 by arms 18 In addition, the ironing roll.9 and rearwardly adjacent portions of the machine may be enclosed andprotected by a cover plate 19, and the front of the machine may beenclosed and protected by a plate 80 which inclines slightly inwardly(see Fig. 2), and has its upper end configurated and disposed so thatthe work passing downwardly from between the rolls H and 9 is directedforwardly and out of the machine, the plate 89 being supported in therelation described, for exampla'by means of a cross member 8! of theframe structure l.

The mode of operation of the machine will be apparent from the foregoingdescription. The

operator after inserting one edge of the work between the separatedrolls I I and 9 presses the treadle 62, thereby confining the work underthe required pressure between the rolls. The work is fed inwardly withthe ironin action previously described until the operator releases thetreadle 62, at which time the parts return to their original positionsas shown in the drawings, releasing the work and permitting itsreadjustment between the rolls to cover any areas thereof which were notironed in the first pass. Since the rolldriving elements are allpositioned at one side of the machine, the opposite ends of the rollsare left relatively unobstructed, so that the work, if desired, may bepassed inwardly between the rolls from that end. As previouslydescribed, the

pressure of the rolls is uniform over their entire lengths, so that theironing action is correspondingly uniform over the entire surface areaof the Work.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that the presentinvention provides an ironing machine of the stated type wherein themovable one of a pair of cooperatively associated rolls is rockablysupported in a manner to permit the roll to be accurately adjusted andset with respect to the other roll so as to engage the latter withuniform pressure throughout its length. The invention also provides amachine wherein the mounting means for the movable roll is such that theroll may be readily removed from the machine for purposes of repair orreplacement. The invention further provides novel mechanism foradvancing and retracting the rolls into and out of pressure engagementthat is operable to substantially cushion the rolls against impact uponengagement so that work therebetween will not be marked and disfigured.In addition, the construction of the machine is such as to permit therelative speeds of the rolls to be changed as required or desired.

While particular embodiments of the features of the present inventionhave been illustrated and described herein, it is not intended that theinvention be limited to such disclosures, and changes and modificationsmay be made and incorporated within the scope of the claims.

We claim:

1. In an ironing machine, a rockshaft, a first roll relatively fixedwith respect to said rock shaft,

7 radial arms on said rock shaft adjacent opposite ends thereof,bearings detachably mounted at the extremities of said radial arms, asecond roll journaled in said bearings, "said rock shaft being actuableto advance and retract said second roll into and out of pressureengagement with said first roll, means associated with one of saidradial arms on the shaft to vary the position of the bearing supportedthereby circumferentially of the rock shaft with respect to the bearingon the other arm and thereb set said second roll with respect to thefirst roll to engage the latter with uniform pressure throughout itslength, and mechanism to actuate said rock shaft comprising meansoperable to cushion impact between said rolls when the same are advancedinto pressure engagement.

2. In an ironing machine, a rock "shaft, a first roll relatively fixedwith respect to said r'ock shaft, radial arms on said rock shaftadjacent opposite ends thereof, bearings detachably mounted at theextremities of said radial arms, a second roll journaled in saidbearings, said rock shaft being actuable to advance and retract saidsecond roll into and out of pressure engagement with said first roll,means to vary the position of one of said arms on the shaftcircumferentially thereof with respect to the other arm to set saidsecond roll with respect to the first roll so as to engage the latterwith uniform pressure throughout its length, and mechanism to actuatesaid rock shaft comprising a rocker arm on the shaft intermediate andapproximately equidistant between said arms, a fluid actuated pistonoperatively connected to said rocker arm, and means associated with saidpiston operable to cushion movement thereof in at least one direction tothereby cushion impact between said rolls when the same are advancedinto pressure engagement.

3. In an ironing machine, a rock shaft, a first roll relatively fixedwith respect to said rock shaft, 2. second roll, bearings rotationallysupporting said second roll at opposite ends thereof, said bearings eachhaving a socket formed therein radially of the second roll, radialsupports onthe rock shaft constituting a support for the bearings ofsaid second roll and including means at the extremities of said armsengaging the sockets of said bearings, and means to releasabl y securethe extremities of said arms in the sockets of said bearings.

4. In an ironing machine, a rock shaft, a first roll relatively fixedwith respect to said rock shaft, bearings rotationally supporting saidsecond roll at opposite ends thereof, said bearings each having a radialsocket therein, radial support arms on the rock shaft adjacent itsopposite ends and constituting supports for the bearings on said secondroll, a radial bearing pin carried by each of said support arms engagingthe sockets in said bearings, mean releasably securing said pins in saidsockets, said rock shaft being actuable to advance and retract saidsecond roll into and out of pressure engagement with said first roll, atleast one of said radial support arms comprising a first sleeve memberloosely mounted on said rock shaft and carrying the radial bearin pin, asecond sleeve member fixed on said rock shaft, means to secure saidfirst and second sleeve members together to fix the position of thelatter circumferentially with respect to the shaft, and means on thesecond sleeve member operable to vary the position of the first sleevemember relative to said second -sleeve member and circumferentially ofthe shaft to accurately align said bearings and set the second roll withre spect to the first roll to engage the latter with uniform pressurethroughout its length.

5. In an ironing machine, a rock shaft, a first roll relatively fixedwith respect to said rock shaft, bearings rotationally supporting saidsecond roll at opposite ends thereof, radial support arms on the rockshaft adjacent its opposite ends and constituting supports for thebearings on said second roll, at least one of said radial support armscomprising a first sleeve member supporting one of said bearings andloosely mounted on said rock shaft, a second sleeve member fixed on saidrock shaft, means to secure said first and second sleeve memberstogether to fix the position of the latter and the bearing thereoncircumferentially with respect to the shaft, and means on the secondsleeve member operable to vary the position of the first sleeve memberrelative to the second sleeve member and circumferentially of the shaftto accurately align the bearing thereon with the bearing supported bysaid other support arm.

FREDERICK S. STOUT. JOHAN F. AMELUNXEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 7 1,765,922 Kleinewefers June 24,1930 2,054,443 Pierson Sept, 15, 1936 2,317,493 Stout et al. Apr. 27,1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 19,538 British Sept. 10, 1904

